The development of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and locus of control in MBA students

Thompson, Claire, Kuah, Adrian, Foong, Regina, and Ng, Eddy (2020) The development of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and locus of control in MBA students. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 31 (1). pp. 113-31.

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DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21375

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21375

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Abstract

Successful managers must develop strong interpersonal skills alongside their ability to achieve personal and organizational goals. For educational institutions to stay relevant, courses must equip students with necessary psychological competencies in addition to technical knowledge, skills and abilities for the constantly evolving business climate. We explored whether Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs aid in the development of psychological competencies, given that MBAs are a popular management development tool. Specifically, we investigated changes in MBA candidates’ emotional intelligence ability (EI), self-efficacy (SE) and locus of control (LoC) in a pre-post survey design over the course of a one-year MBA educational program and explored the relationship of candidate’s baseline psychological status to their academic success in the MBA educational program. Participants were recruited from newly enrolled students at an international university in Asia. The study participants (53 MBA students, plus 26 psychology students and 34 non-students as comparison groups) completed self-report measures of EI, SE and LoC at the beginning and end of a one-year MBA period. The MBA candidates showed significant improvement in EI, SE and LoC-internality, as well as an increase in LoC-powerful others during the program. LoC-powerful others at the beginning of the program also predicted MBA students’ academic performance. The findings provide evidence that psychological competencies that may positively affect work performance are key benefits of MBA education.


Item ID:	59829
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1532-1096
Keywords:	emotional intelligence; self-efficacy; locus of control; MBA education; academic performance
Copyright Information:	© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. In conformance with the publisher's policies, the Accepted Manuscript version of this publication will be available Open Access from ResearchOnline@JCU.edu.au from 16 June 2020.
Date Deposited:	19 Aug 2019 23:38
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5201 Applied and developmental psychology > 520102 Educational psychology @ 40% 39 EDUCATION > 3904 Specialist studies in education > 390402 Education assessment and evaluation @ 20% 39 EDUCATION > 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy > 390103 Economics, business and management curriculum and pedagogy @ 40%
SEO Codes:	93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9305 Education and Training Systems > 930502 Management of Education and Training Systems @ 20% 93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9301 Learner and Learning > 930103 Learner Development @ 20% 93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9399 Other Education and Training > 939908 Workforce Transition and Employment @ 60%
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